I had the chance to get a demo from the 411Sync team at the recent Tech Connection Party. On the surface, 411Sync is a simple no frills information service aimed at cell phones, primarily via SMS or email. The magic is that 411Sync hasn’t developed any of the interfaces needed for their service– developers voluntarily create mashups which provides cell users with info ranging from movie times to the latest live cricket scores.

The concept of mashing up commands sounds familiar doesn’t it? Indeed, 411Sync is the YubNub of cell phones, providing social commands on the go. It’s definitely a concept that is useful for cell phones, where brevity is key to a successful service. 411Sync allows developers to create short keywords that provide access to valuable information.

The best part is, if a particular information source isn’t available, you can create it! 411Sync’s mashup interface is a little more complicated than YubNub, but, with a some scripting know-how and guidance, you’ll be well on your way to making a unique command for your cell phone. Currently, they have over a thousand commands, with an average of 3 new commands created everyday.

411Sync is not backed by any venture money, and is the result of hard work from two engineers. Don’t expect any bells and whistles from their site, which is functional, but quite bare in its presentation. Since the service is aimed at attracting developers, a shiny look is a secondary consideration.

One thing to improve upon are the access numbers, which uses a typical 10 digit code. They really need to get some short codes.

So, if you’re a developer itching to create some cell mashups, 411Sync may just be the ticket. Even more compelling is the value that they could add to 3rd party services who don’t already have a cell phone interface. 411Sync is an easy way to add your service to cell phones without needing to understand all the ins and outs of the SMS interface.

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Categories - 411Sync, Mobile |